The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter (2018)

I have been a fan of Jody Hill's and Danny McBride's collaborative works since, "The Foot Fist Way". They created ingenious comedy with the series, "Eastbound and Down" and "Vice Principles". Hill's works are known for being no holds barred, raunchy, surly and uproarious. I was elated to find out Hill and McBride were at it again with this comedy. That's just the thing though, this is far from being comedic. It barely musters even a minute chuckle from time to time. It's as if Hill and McBride abandoned all of their classic idiosyncrasies. Hill directs an ample comedy. The film has appreciable direction, screenplay, cinematography, settings, soundtrack and acting. In fact the soundtrack is the one saving grace in the film. Hill's works have always had outstanding soundtracks. The limited cast deliver sufficient performances. The main theme is about a father trying strengthen the bond between himself and his son due to a recent divorce. The plot revolves around the famous Whitetail Deer Hunter Buck Ferguson, his cameraman Don and his son Jayden. Buck's idea to stregthen his relationship with Jayden and also watch his son transform into a man in front of his very eyes is to take him on a hunting trip with Don capturing all the footage for Buck's greatest video of all time. There are two major problems. First, Jayden doesn't particularly care for hunting never mind the wilderness and he is more concerned with communicating with his girlfriend via his phone. Second, Buck is an insecure machismo deer killer who becomes increasingly frustrated with Jayden's lack of interest. The trip starts out droll and lugubrious until the trio spot a non-typical whitetail. That means it's special. Buck is determined to make this deer Jayden's first kill. Along the way Jayden has his phone appropriated so he can focus and Buck attempts to teach him what he considers life lessons in becoming a man. Don is more congenial and understands where Jayden is coming from. Jayden goes through a breakup with his girlfriend after Don lets him borrow his phone and for the first time we see a real father and son relationship as Buck tries his best to show empathy. Don shows some photos of his girlfriend to Jayden which are explicit and invokes an argument between Buck and Don. This prompts a heart to heart between father and son regarding relationships with girls. A few more examples like this occur where the focus isn't on the deer hunt, rather it is on Buck and Jayden bonding. A final argument occurs when Don quits after being punched in the nose by Buck. This leaves Buck and Jayden alone for the hunt. We see Buck atop a range despondent after a phone call to his ex-wife when he comes to the realization that his son is going to have a step-father. This is when Buck's overbearing attitude towards Jayden changes. The two finally track down the non-typical and Jayden not wanting to kill the deer misfires hitting Don in the leg. Don had secretly been hiding out filming the remainder of the trip. Now it is a life and death situation to get Don to safety. Eventually it is left up to Jayden to drive Don to camp on an ATV leaving his father behind to contemplate the trip. As he's sitting by a river the non-typical whitetail meanders up. Buck has it in his sight. The plot is dramatic, pleasant, tangled, apt, imprudent, dainty and has an ambiguous ending. If I had to pick a scene that was semi-humorous it would be when Buck, who is slightly fraudulent in his portrayal of being heroic, sends Don across an old rope bridge first to test the integrity of the ropes by claiming that Don will get a better shot with Buck heading towards him. Don reveals this isn't the first time Buck has pulled this type of stunt. Unfortunately I can't think of any memorable quotes from a Hill film and I just watched it. By no means is this film abysmal. It does evoke a few laughs and has a appeasing theme. However this is not a typical Hill film and is forgettable in the comedy genre